This invention relates to a device for storage and display of small, generally planar articles having opposed major faces, such as coins, medals, and the like. The invention has particular applicability to devices for the storage and display of coins. However, while reference will be made hereinafter to the storage and display of coins, it will be understood that the device is also useful for the storage and display of similar articles such as medals and the like.
There are several storage and display devices which are commercially available, and many others have been described. Each of the known devices has shortcomings. Accordingly, there is a need for improved devices of this type.
Commercially available devices of this type for displaying and storing coins and the like are described, for example, in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
Deese, U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,477
Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,639
Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,688
Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,997
Mayer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,650.
Among the commercial devices described in the foregoing patents is a plastic or cellophane envelope or the like in which a coin is inserted. The envelope is closed by stapling. While this device is inexpensive, the envelope is often mutilated when the coin is removed and, of course, the container is not sealed to any significant degree. Several commercially available systems are described in the Grant patent. Among these is the Whitman holder which is said to be subject to tarnishing. Another system described by Grant requires complete disassembly to add or remove a single coin.
The various devices proposed in the foregoing patents also have shortcomings. Deese, U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,477, relates to a relatively complex and inherently expensive device having interlocking elements which may be connected to form a sheet of devices. Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,639, relates to a device in which a coin is held between mating threaded transparent cup members which are screwed together to encapsulate the coin. These may be mounted on an apertured board, in which case the mating cup members are mounted from opposite sides of the board. The device thus requires precisely sized mating cup members and a correspondingly precisely sized aperture board, both of which are specifically designed for the purpose. Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,688, relates to a device which is a flat, generally rectangular container having upper and lower members sealed along three edges and having an open end defined by fourth edges which permit an article to be received and contained within the container, together with a receptacle having compartments for receiving a container with an article contained therewithin. The receptacle has container closing means which cooperate with the fourth edges of the container, urging them together to close the open end of the container when it is located within the receptacle. Thus, the device requires the use of a container having little or no utility apart from the combination and is inherently expensive. Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,997, is similar to Grant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,688, in showing a device in which an article to be stored is first placed between a layer of flexible transparent sheets which are in turn positioned between two plate members. When the plate members are assembled, the edges of the sheets are compressed together and a plurality of the storage devices may be mounted on an apertured display board. Mayer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,650, relates to a tamper-proof coin case defined by two interlocking plastic plate members which are ultrasonically bonded together to define a unitary assembly within which a coin and its certificate of authenticity may be permanently secured.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for displaying and storing generally planar articles having opposed major faces, such as a coin, medal, or the like, which is readily provided in the form of an album or the like suitable for storing a plurality of such articles. It is a further object to provide such devices which are attractive, yet relatively inexpensive. It is a further object to provide such devices which can accommodate an article which is itself enclosed or sealed in a conventional holder such as a pair of opposed films. It is still a further object to provide such a device in which an article can be removed without disturbing other articles stored and displayed in that device.